strategic plan 2015-2020

STRATEGIC PLAN
2015-2020
The Masters School • Strategic Plan 2015-2020
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STRATEGIC PLAN
2015-2020
When community members come together to think deeply and about
our values, our strengths, and our future, the result is an important
roadmap for The Masters School.
Our MISSION STATEMENT and
5 belief statements provide the inspiration
for our STRATEGIC PLAN, which consists of
6 overarching goals.
The Masters School • Strategic Plan 2015-2020
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MISSION
STATEMENT
The Masters School celebrates active participation,
deep understanding, and meaningful connection.
A community of diverse individuals, we gather
to learn,
to strive,
to dare,
to do—
to be a power for good in the world.
STRATEGIC PLANNING THAT WORKS
Since 2000, The Masters School has been guided by creative, ambitious strategic planning. During
this period, the School has experienced meaningful growth and enrichment in every area.
Masters has attracted and retained a committed faculty who design and deliver a challenging, student-centered academic program that is based on Harkness pedagogy and offers
opportunities for global connection, New York City exploration, service learning, and ethical leadership development. In addition to academics, our diverse student body—which has
grown from 390 to 664 students since 2001—engages in arts offerings and takes part in
athletic team pursuits. A vibrant residential program—for students from 15 states and 31 countries—
enriches life for both day and boarding students. Successful fundraising and well-managed annual
budgets have resulted in opportunities to invest in new programs and facilities. Our beautiful 96-acre
campus now includes Morris Hall, a dedicated Middle School, 55 faculty housing units, and
the Greene Family Field and Track. The 2015 opening of the MAAC (Masters Athletic and Arts
Center) will further transform Masters by offering students and faculty a campus hub for arts,
athletics, student leadership, meetings, and recreation.
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to learn
WE BELIEVE that students learn best when they construct their own meanings.
This belief is reflected in the architecture of the classroom itself: the Harkness
table gathers students and teachers to build knowledge and learn from one another. Our students practice communication and thinking skills by developing
and supporting their ideas, listening carefully to others, working collaboratively,
and sharing feedback. In the process, they come to understand their own approaches to learning and value those of others. This group experience fosters
a sense of collective responsibility, an appreciation of others, and a feeling of
accomplishment in creating something unique and profound.
2015-2020 STRATEGIC PLAN
In 2013, the Board of Trustees determined it imperative that Masters embark upon a comprehensive
strategic planning process, one that would build on the School’s strengths, honor our mission, and
include the perspectives and experiences of all Masters’ stakeholders.
Over eighteen months, a Strategic Planning Steering Committee coordinated and oversaw several
strategic planning initiatives that involved more than 125 trustees, alumnae/i, faculty, staff, parents,
and students. In October 2013, trustees, faculty, and administrators discussed key trends in independent schools and analyzed Masters’ Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Next,
Study Groups identified strategic priorities in five critical “pillars”: 21st Century Teaching and Learning; Learning Beyond the Classroom; Technology; Enrollment and Marketing; and Financial Sustainability. At a two-day Retreat in April 2014, the Study Groups’ findings were presented and analyzed.
Finally, guided by the Retreat recommendations, strategic goals and related strategies were developed. The Board of Trustees approved the strategic goals at its November 1, 2014 meeting.
Simultaneous to the creation of the final Strategic Plan, the Mission Committee developed The
Masters School’s new Mission and Beliefs Statement, which was also approved by the Board on
November 1, 2014.
The Masters School • Strategic Plan 2015-2020
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to strive
WE BELIEVE that our environment must inspire students to
strive to be their best selves—in academic, athletic, artistic,
and all other endeavors. In working to achieve their goals, students learn to persevere. A community-wide focus on growth
enables them to navigate challenges and become resourceful,
confident, and resilient.
GOAL
#1 Embrace Deep and Transformational Learning
Our students are growing up in a world in which technological
change is rapid, libraries of information are available instantly and
wirelessly, individuals are increasingly mobile and social groups
more and more diverse. The Masters School must respond to a
changing world by teaching students the skills they need to thrive
in this environment. Because change is happening so rapidly, it is
impossible for us to teach our students everything they need to
know by the time they graduate from The Masters School. Thus
the most important skill our students need is the ability and independence to teach themselves, along with the flexibility to evolve
and grow in a dynamic environment.
The Masters School will:
Create a school culture that embraces the
idea that the best learning is deep and
transformational.
Ensure that faculty design a curriculum
that engages students in authoring and
assessing their own learning.
GOAL
a Faculty of Distinction that Embodies
#2 Build
Our Philosophy and Pedagogy
Curriculum and pedagogy are inseparable from each other and
from all aspects of school life. A 21st century curriculum must be
supported by a progressive pedagogy that in turn both reflects
and creates the school culture. Because faculty are central to our
ability to deliver our academic program, we must attract, develop
and retain those who are best suited to engage our pedagogy. And,
beyond their academic responsibilities, our educators must be
committed to the education of the whole child—supporting student academic, moral, ethical, social, and emotional development.
The Masters School will:
Align our pedagogy with our mission and
core beliefs.
Ensure that our faculty are experts in
their disciplines and are aligned with the
Masters philosophy and pedagogy at all
stages of their careers.
Articulate, internally and externally, our
distinctive educational philosophy and
how it is supported by our teaching methods and practices.
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to dare
WE BELIEVE that we must empower students to dare—to
wonder, to question what is known and to explore what is
unknown. Our culture of kindness and inclusivity applauds
students who take risks, learn from setbacks, and gain new
perspectives.
GOAL
#3 Lead in Innovative Teaching
Our faculty are encouraged to intentionally explore and apply new
and effective pedagogies to enrich teaching and learning.
The Masters School will:
Continue to evolve as a center of interesting
and innovative learning, a place where
all teachers strive to make visible and
transparent the “craft” of learning.
GOAL
#4 Support Growth and Excellence in our Faculty
Maintaining a faculty of true distinction requires The Masters
School to offer a highly competitive compensation structure, in
which we include salary, housing, professional development and
other benefits. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that we
are in a strong competitive position vis-à-vis our peer schools in
the area of faculty recruitment and retention.
The Masters School will:
Recognize the important role of
competitive compensation in Masters’
ability to attract, develop and retain a
faculty of true distinction and the
necessity for a compensation system
that is equitable and transparent.
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to do
WE BELIEVE that learning is doing. We ask our students to be
more than consumers of content—we ask them to use what they
learn to solve problems and design new visions for the world and
their place in it. For our students, learning is experiential, and
experience shapes learning.
GOAL
Our Rich and Inclusive Learning
#5 Celebrate
Community
The Masters School is an intentionally diverse, multicultural, and
global learning community. Our Middle School and Upper School
day students come from across the tri-state area, and boarding
students join us from across the country and around the world.
Our intellectually curious and engaged students excel in and appreciate athletics and the arts and are committed to making the
world a better place. Their interests and talents mutually enrich
each other’s lives and extend classroom learning.
The Masters School will:
Continue to develop a vibrant and
inclusive learning community by enrolling
the most mission-appropriate students—
day and boarding—and ensuring that
Masters is accessible to students whose
backgrounds, experiences, and thinking
will expand the world for all of us—in and
out of the classroom.
GOAL
#6 Guarantee the School’s Financial Future
The Masters School is at an exciting juncture in its history, and we
are well positioned to sustain our positive momentum. In the near
term, enrollment growth is not anticipated so we must diversify
revenue sources in order to decrease reliance on tuition revenue
and protect against financial downturns.
The Masters School will:
Ensure that the current and future financial well-being of the School is a priority
and that adequate resources are available
to invest in students, faculty, programs,
campus facilities, and technology.
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to be a power for good in the world
When Eliza B. Masters founded The Masters School in 1877, she set out to educate each
student “to be a power for good in the world.” Today, we continue to hold this mission
as central to everything we do. As our students contend with real-world issues both in
and out of the classroom, they gain empathy, confidence, and a sense of responsibility
to fulfill Miss Masters’ most important mission.
STRATEGIC PLANNING STEERING COMMITTEE
Alex Herzan P’13, Chair
Tracy Tang Limpe ’80, P’18
Maureen Fonseca P’05, ’08
Adriana Botero
Tim Kane P’15, ‘20
Mary Schellhorn P’08
STRATEGIC PLANNING PARTICIPANTS
From October 2013 through November 2014, more than 125 members of the Masters community—trustees, faculty, administrators,
alumnae/i, parents, and students—took part in study groups, served on committees, and attended the two-day Retreat held in April
2014. We thank the people listed below who gave so generously of their time and wise counsel to develop The Masters School’s
Strategic Plan.
Schellie Archbold ‘69, P’16
Amy Atlee
Karole Dill Barkley ‘78, P’17
Lisa Berrol P’13, ‘18
Adriana Botero
Chris Brakey ‘16
Sarah Brown ‘03
Karen Brown P’16
Tim Campbell
Jeff Carnevale
Jennifer Carnevale
Pedro Ceron P’16
Edith Chapin ‘83, Trustee
Erica Chapman
Jonathan Clay P‘19, Trustee
John Comforto
Michelle Coppola P’17
Ellen Cowhey
Gillian Crane ‘92
Alexander Daibes ‘15
Michele Dennis P’21
Lee Dieck P’10
Henry DuBeau ‘14
David Dunbar P’00, ’02
Mary Duncan P’17
Stacey Farley P’13, ‘14, ‘17
Stephan Feder P’15, ‘19, Trustee
Rob Fish
Maureen Fonseca P’05, ’08, Trustee
Mark Frankel
Justin Friedman ‘15
Darren Friedman P’15
Payton Fu ‘14
Vincent Galgano
Henry Ginna ‘09
Barbara Goodman P’14, ‘17
Chris Goulian
Nancy Gormley
Frank Greally
Susan Greally
Lynn Greenberg P’17
Michael Greene P’10, ‘13, Trustee
Elise Griffin ‘47, P’77, Trustee
Helen Grim ‘53, P’84, Hon. Trustee
Elizabeth Gross ‘05
Christina Guarin ‘14
MA Haskin
Linda Heath ‘69
Nancy Hebard ‘61
Alex Herzan P’13, Trustee
Priscilla Hindley ‘66
Sheree Holliday P’16, ‘20, Trustee
Keith Holton
Bob Horne P’15
Matt Ives
Tim Kane P’15, ‘20
Lusyd Kourides ‘70
Francesca LaPasta ‘15
Elyse Lazansky ‘78, P’16, ‘20
Evan Leek ‘01
Clay Lifflander P’14, ‘16, Trustee
Tracy Limpe ‘80, P’18, Board Chair
Susie Mackay ‘58
Sydney Macy ‘70, Trustee
John Manganiello
Edgar Masters, H’98, Life Trustee
Keryn Mathas P’19 ’22, Trustee
Amalia Mayorga ‘15
John McGovern ‘07
Margaret McKean ‘15
Jason McLeod ‘15
Mindy Meads P’11, Trustee
Stephanie Mestyan
Jerrie Miller P’10, ‘14
Seymour Mintzer
Julie Miran
Keith Morgan P’17, Trustee
Susan Morris ‘57, Life Trustee
Christine Neikirk ‘84, Trustee
Beth Nolan ‘69, Trustee
Jessica Nuñez
Ricardo Oelkers ‘03
Suzie Paxton, ’88, Trustee
Dan Pereira
Sheldon Perlysky
Janet Pietsch P’09, ‘20, Trustee
Gilles Pugatch
Penney Riegelman, Trustee
Colleen Roche
Bob Rooney
Ralph Rosenberg P’13, ‘15, ‘16, ‘19,
Trustee
Kim-Adele Rosner P’17, ‘18
Tom Rossini
Mary Rotella
Leslie Rusoff P’17, ‘17, ‘18
Mary Ryan ‘00
Eli Salzman P’11, ‘17
Judith Schechtman
Mary Schellhorn P’08
Brandon Schneider ‘15
Miguel Segovia
Amie Servino ‘95
Eric Shapiro
Heather Sherman P’14
Richard Simon
Michael Skrilow ‘99
Lynn Sobel ‘71, P’99, ‘05, Trustee
Anna Sobel Mudrick ‘99
Diana Spencer ‘56, P’84, Trustee
Kristen Tregar
Marianna van Brummelen
Kevin Versen P’13
Lynne Versen P’13
Tim Weir P’17
Serena Wessely ‘15
James Wexler P’19
Everett “Doc” Wilson P’09
Madeline Wilson P’05, ‘08
Darren Wood
Kathi Woods
Cori Worchel P’19, ‘21
Lew Wyman
Skeff Young P’13, ’18
Marianna Zapata ‘16
Shan Zhu P’16, Trustee
The Masters School • Strategic Plan 2015-2020
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